I’m wandering around Europe with my newly retired husband. We are trying to find some continued good weather for the second half of October and are looking at Crete. We like to be outdoors doing some hiking and exploring, but really anything pretty where we can be outside. Any advice?
Posted by
NH (USA) aka crazyh
1522 posts
I was there in early October and the weather was great.
Sunny, mild temperature without the heat of summer and the Aegean still warm for a dip in the sea.
However, no guarantee what the weather will be like so be prepared for any weather conditions.
Since Crete is in the south of the Aegean the weather stays milder longer and you should be OK.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
7574 posts
Same experience here. We spent 12 days in Crete from mid September into early October - just got back - and there were some serious storms in our last few days. Mid-September to early/mid-October is my favorite time to travel in the far southern Mediterranean. The Greek islands, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, far-southern Italy, all are lovely the last 2 weeks of September and into early October, and the crowds are draining away then, too - you can feel them going. But I will add a few caveats that you should consider...
October is definitely a "transition" month. The first few days of October may (will usually) feel like summer: sunny and hot. Bring the sunscreen, flipflops and swimsuits. But once you start getting deep into October (by October 10-15, IME) the weather will change noticeably. You will still get some sunny days, but the real heat will disappear, and the deeper into October you get, the more you will experience at least some (maybe more than a little) cooler weather, cloudy skies, rain, wind, and actual storms. It's tough to beat the first few days of October, but by the end of the month, summer is just a memory.
Weather-wise, I think the sweetest of the sweet spots is around Sept 15 through around Oct 10. Weather is impossible to predict with any precision or reliability, and there's climate change to consider, but I don't think you'll be swimming (anywhere) after October 10-15. By mid October you'll be adding fleece layers even when it's still dry. And you'll get rained on occasionally, sometimes a hard, stormy rain.
Things start shutting down more and more after the first week in October. Flights dwindle and then (in some places) stop completely until Spring. Tourist services (restaurants, hotels, attractions) may be limited, or just entirely closed for the season.
I think the first half of October would be fine in Crete (we were there until October 2, and there were storms at night the last 2 days, lots of wind, scattered rain showers, and a feeling like summer was ending). After the middle of the month, you should be prepared for a very un-summer-like experience some days.